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In Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is providing $100 million to promote sustainable, risk-based efforts to protect critical port infrastructure from acts of terrorism.
Overview
The FY 2023 Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) is one of four grant programs that constitute the DHS/Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) focus on transportation infrastructure security activities. These grant programs are part of a comprehensive set of measures authorized by Congress and implemented by DHS to help strengthen the nation’s critical infrastructure against potential terrorist attacks. The PSGP provides funds to state, local, territorial, and private sector partners to support increased port-wide risk management and protect critical surface transportation infrastructure from acts of terrorism.
Funding
In FY 2023, the total amount of funds under PSGP is $100 million. The FY 2023 program is focused on supporting increased maritime cybersecurity, port-wide maritime security risk management, enhancing maritime domain awareness, supporting maritime security training and exercises, and maintaining or reestablishing maritime security mitigation protocols that support port recovery and resilience capabilities. In assessing the national risk profile for FY 2023, two areas warrant the most concern: 1) enhancing cybersecurity; and 2) enhancing the protection of soft targets/crowded places.
Eligibility
All entities subject to an Area Maritime Security Plan, as defined by 46 U.S.C. § 70103(b), may apply for PSGP funding. Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to, port authorities, facility operators, and state, territorial, and local government agencies. A facility operator owns, leases, or operates any structure or facility of any kind located in, on, under, or adjacent to any waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Examples of facility operators include, but are not limited to, terminal operators, ferry systems, bar/harbor pilots, and merchant’s exchanges.
Ferry systems that elect to participate under the FY 2023 PSGP are not considered for funding under the FY 2023 Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP). Likewise, any ferry system that elects to participate in the FY 2023 TSGP is not considered for funding under the FY 2023 PSGP.
Please refer to the FY 2023 PSGP Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for additional information on eligibility.
Funding Guidelines
PSGP recipients will be selected for funding through a competitive review process as outlined in the FY 2023 PSGP NOFO. Applicants will receive a 20% increase to their scores for addressing one or more of the following National Priority Areas in their Investment Justifications:
- Enhancing cybersecurity; and
- Enhancing the protection of soft targets and crowded places.
Projects submitted by a public sector applicant or projects otherwise certified by the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port as having a port-wide benefit will have their final scores increased by a multiplier of 10%.
Application Process
Applying for an award under the PSGP is a multi-step process. Applicants are encouraged to register early, as the registration process can take four weeks or more to complete. Therefore, registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact your ability to meet required submission deadlines. Please refer to Section D in the FY 2023 PSGP NOFO for detailed information and instructions.
Eligible applicants should submit their initial application at least three days prior to the May 18, 2023, application deadline through the Grants.gov portal at www.grants.gov. Applicants needing Grants.gov support should contact the Grants.gov customer support hotline at (800) 518-4726, 24 hours per day, seven days per week except federal holidays.
Eligible applicants will be notified by FEMA within one to two business days and asked to proceed with submitting their complete application package in the Non-Disaster (ND) Grants System by the application deadline. Applicants needing technical support with the ND Grants System should contact ndgrants@fema.dhs.gov or (800) 865-4076, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).
Completed applications must be submitted in the ND Grants system no later than 5 p.m. ET on May 18, 2023.
PSGP Resources
There are a variety of resources available to address programmatic, technical, and financial questions, including:
- The FY 2023 PSGP NOFO is located online at www.fema.gov/grants.
- The FY 2023 Preparedness Grants Manual is located online at www.fema.gov/grants.
- For additional program-specific information, please contact the FEMA Grants Information Desk at fema-grants-news@fema.dhs.gov OR at (800) 368-6498. Hours of operation are from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.
- For support regarding financial grants management and budgetary technical assistance, applicants may contact the FEMA Award Administration Help Desk via e-mail to ASK-GMD@fema.dhs.gov.